Michigan's big-money recruiting plan pays off with elite 2025 class that will reshape future of the program

Under Jim Harbaugh, the Michigan Wolverines were content to bring in the right players, regardless of star level, and develop them into quality players. Harbaugh called this a "transformational, not transactional" approach.

Now in the Sherrone Moore era, that approach is changing. The Wolverines are spending to land premium talent across the board. It worked out in landing their 2025 class that promises to change the future of the Michigan program.

Look no further than the Bryce Underwood deal. After a year of horrible quarterback play and rotating three different quarterbacks, Sherrone Moore and the rest of the staff decided enough was enough. With a new front office handling the football decisions and a donor base willing to engage, Moore offered Underwood a record-setting NIL deal to flip the local star's commitment from LSU to Michigan. 

The deals didn't stop there. Defensive lineman Nate Marshall flipped from Auburn, cornerback Shamari Earls flipped from Georgia, and offensive tackle Ty Haywood flipped away his commitment from Alabama with both choosing the NIL packages that the Wolverines were able to offer. 

Let's not forget that the Wolverines also landed their highest-ranked offensive line recruit ever in Andrew Babalola in this class as well. All of these players, combined with other talents like wide receiver Andrew Marsh, safety Elijah Dotson, and cornerback Jayden Sanders, have given the Wolverines their highest-ranked recruiting class in years, finishing sixth overall in 247Sports' Composite Rankings. 

It'll be interesting to see how this shift in approach works out in the long term. Jim Harbaugh and his staff were elite developers, which made their "transformational" approach work out better than other staffs have been able to achieve. Sherrone Moore seems to be banking on getting ahead of the game and wanting to put Michigan on even footing with the money that other teams are spending on rosters, especially rival Ohio State.